Weinstein Co.’s New Female Owner Is Giving the Disgraced Studio an Inclusive Makeover

Following the tidal wave of sexual assault and harassment allegations against Harvey Weinstein, the company he co-founded with his brother Bob was hit with its own series of setbacks. Upcoming films were pulled from the release schedule, while The Weinstein Company itself was put up for sale. In a bit of poetic justice, the sole bidder — and new owner — of the company that was tarnished by decades of violent misogyny is a woman. And she’s giving TWC the inclusive, female-friendly makeover it so desperately needs.

The Wrap has the full rundown on Maria Contreras-Sweet, the new owner of The Weinstein Company. A former Small Business Administrator under President Barack Obama, Contreras-Sweet purchased TWC in an exclusive bid with plans to give the distributor a complete makeover — transforming it into what I can only assume is Harvey Weinstein’s waking nightmare:

The new TWC (which will also receive a new name) will change offices, taking over the former Broad Green Pictures space in Los Angeles. There, Contreras-Sweet will create an open corporate environment that shuns the elitist, closed-door atmosphere that enabled Weinstein’s predatory behavior for decades. The new offices will also feature breastfeeding rooms for new mothers and will offer three free meals a day to its employees.

Perhaps the most significant detail in Contreras-Sweet’s takeover is a multi-million dollar fund to give aid to Weinstein’s numerous victims. The first donation came from Contreras-Sweet, who contributed $20 million of her own money to support the dozens of women that have come forward to accuse Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and rape in recent months.

An insider told The Wrap that TWC is undergoing a complete 180, and that Contreras-Sweet is looking to hire a “murderer’s row” of powerful women to join the board of directors. As of now, that (entirely male) board includes Bob Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar. The current president of the company, David Glasser, will be named CEO, while current CFO David Hutkin will shift to the position of COO.

It remains unknown if the current board of male directors will stay on with TWC, or if they will be replaced entirely. Bob Weinstein was also accused of sexual harassment, and given the Contreras-Sweet’s total overhaul of the company, it’s hard to imagine that she’d want to keep him — or any other potentially troubling remnants of the old TWC — around.